"Into Art" Class and Adorable Animals.....

Well, it has been an interesting day. Heather and I went to an antique sale at "Into Antiques" in Wurtemburg, PA a few weeks back. This nice lady, Jan, was informing everyone that she was going to have an art class in this tiny little house that sits next door to the antique shop. So, Heather and I decided to go ahead and give it a try. I have always had an interest in drawing, but got frustrated due to the lack of "necessary instruction" that I was lacking. So, to "dip my toes in the water", so to speak, this class was a wonderful start.

The table is all set for the 4 students. Pencils, rulers, paper, syllabus, etc. Off we go! We spent the morning drawing one of a few still life subjects. Mine, being a child's cowboy boot. It was freehand, with no instruction. During the course of the morning, Jan fed us tidbits of "artist knowledge", instruction, and stories of her own experiences. It was a delightful mix. The time just flew. Before you knew it, it was time for lunch. "Into Antiques" will provide lunch and on this day, we had a wonderful chicken salad croissant, sweet tea, and chocolate cake for dessert. Sorry, got so involved in the food, I forgot the pictures.

Jan brought a few books for us to study, and here is Heather and Jan deep in discussion about faces and eyes.

Here we all are, Me (on the right), Cindy, Patty, Heather and Jan. It was quite a nice group. Just the right size for all the attention we needed! And four hours later, here are the results of the boot and eye sketches. Now remember, I am a novice.

We are signed up for the next class, which is in about 3 weeks. Can't wait for it to get here. We are going outside to sketch! If you haven't tried this, it is great therapy. Thanks for a fun day, Jan!

I snapped a few pictures of the gardens while at the antique shop. Sitting between the shop and the little house is a small garden. Love how it is tucked in there. It leads to the back where the owner has her greenhouses.

Here's a few pictures of inside the antique shop. The owner has quite an eye for design and display. She actually lives here, with a kitchen in the back and all these wonderful finds! Love that green cupboard.

Looking from the front of the shop into where we had lunch.

The owner gives teas, and events. So, there are lots and lots of old tables set up awaiting a hungry brood! It is a vacation for the mind just to be here. Fairy lights surround the ceiling. A balcony at the top of the stairs surrounds the first floor.

Well, now I know this is a strange mix, but I had to get my animal pictures in a blog. I had promised some pictures of the "Wild Horses" at the Outer Banks, NC. So, here are a few pics. Notice how they feed right among the houses. There are no formal roads here, just all sand, and dunes. You have to have a four-wheel drive vehicle to live here. This is in the Corolla/Duck area.

Now the story goes that these Spanish Mustang horses swam ashore from a ship wreck. It is said that they drink sea water. They eat sea oats. Conservation groups keep a close eye on them and there are about 100 in the herd. The problem is they are not living in a protected area, like a national park. Living amongst people does cause issues. And from what I hear, there are struggles with developers. Note this little lady below. This is a back shot and notice how "pregnant" she is.

Such beauty! Look at those manes.

Well, I had to share "The Rest" of my animal pictures. I have been snapping up pictures all summer of local animals. This little fellow was strutting his stuff with his shaggy "leggings" and all. Just love him.

Ah-h-h-h-h-h-h............ Sweet little sheep....................

And these odd fellows are actually goats. I guess they are a special kind where they shear the wool which is similar to sheep wool. I think he was just as curious about me as I was about him.

And last but not least, a selection of local horse pictures. This sweet pony was very curious. He came over and put his head down and peaked at me through the fencing. He actually did let me pet his nose. He's a cutie.

I think he wanted me to get a little closer. But he was a big one. Wasn't sure how close I should get. He looks friendly enough.

And, look at these sweeties. Love their white coats. Are these mules? Their ears are bigger?

Well, I hope you enjoyed my "animal adventures" and thanks for sharing in my "Into Art" Class. Hope you all have a wonderful week....

Kitty

xox

The Garden Is In Bloom.....

The summer is flying by, but I am enjoying each and ever second. I thought it was time to show some garden pictures. I just love all the colors they bring. It just makes a person "happy" to see all those divine shades intermingling.

I wasn't going to start with vegetables, but since Blogger wasn't cooperating tonight, I thought, OK, vegetables, it is. I only put some vegetables in pots, and that's enough. A little lettuce, some tomatoes and peppers, and this year, an eggplant. Isn't the eggplant bloom just so cute? Can't wait ot make eggplant parmesan. I'm open for recipies!

My neighbor, Mitsy, puts in a big garden and always shares her bounty with us. Thank you, Mitsy, I'm loving every morsel! She gave me some turnips. Can't wait to cook those up.

These impatience remind me of sherbert colors. All different flavors. Just delicious! And the butterfly bush is new to the garden this year. It's not very big, but I have about 4 flowers on it. Such beautiful shades of purple to lavender! Oh my! Just gorgeous. My little grandson has one, as well. He says he saw a hummingbird on it. What a sight that would be!

As I've said in the past, I don't have much luck with hydrangeas. But these are the new everblooming variety, blooming all summer. So far, so good. The flowers start green, turn to white, and then have just a blush of pink on them as they mature. I just love them! I'm hoping they weather just fine. Any tips on hydrangeas are absolutely welcome!

The back deck has a little garden and tiny frog spitting water into the pool. The snapdragons are wonderful this year. The clematis has already bloomed.

I've been fighting with the raccoons this year for digging up my pots. But, I think I've won the battle. Hubby put out the live trap to catch them the other night. When he catches them, he takes them over to the state game lands and sets them free. But, what did we catch? A Momma raccoon and a baby in the trap, and a baby laying next to it waiting for her Momma to get out. Hubby said he'd take the two over. I said, "Oh No! You cannot split up that Momma and her babies!" What else can you do? Those babies were so so cute.

I just love the double ruffled petunias.

For Mother's Day, Heather gave me a basket of beautiful flowers, tied up with a tulle bow! It was gorgeous; a basket I had always admired in her home. I was delighted with it. Here are the flowers, just growing like crazy! I love that chartreuse green. It has little spikes of pink flowers that come out the top. Not sure what it is. A viola and a trailing vine, which is just beautiful.

I also got a new hollyhock this year. I went to a sale at a local antique store, and she sold flowers, as well. I just love the fullness of this bloom. Beautiful!

Winter was especially hard on the lambs ear, but it is bouncing back nicely. It is a sturdy little plant. And, as they say, soft as a lambs ear.....

One of my statue angels praying under our American flag. I can't help but feel she's sending up a prayer for our country and our leaders. Can't we all use a little prayer? The plant under the flag gets little pink flowers in the spring (Forget the name).

A peek into the main flower bed with the gazing ball and the fountain.

And of course, my precious little lambs. Just love them. The ajuga ground cover is starting to take off.

That's the tour of my garden. It's wonderful getting out in the sun and digging around in the dirt. So, put those garden gloves on ladies, and get dirty! Of course get the Flexall 454 and heating pad ready. Some how I am not as flexible as I used to be!

Have a great week,

Kitty